The biggest-ever 2022 European Poker Tour Prague €5,300 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event has crowned its champion at the Hilton Hotel Prague in the Czech Republic. The tournament attracted a record field of 1,267 across two starting days generating €6,144,950 ($6,564,036) in the prize pool.
In the end, the lion’s share of that prize pool went to Canada’s Jordan Saccucci, the 33-year-old from Mississauga, Ontario, who banked €913,250, following a heads-up deal with France’s Antoine Saout (runner-up for €800,000). This was Saccucci’s first major live poker tournament title as the champion.
“It was a roller-coaster, ups and downs, but it was good. I enjoyed it, I had fun,” said Saccucci.
The top 183 players were paid out in this tournament, with the final table playing out for two days. The first day began with Saccucci leading the final nine. He won a classic race with A-K against the pocket sevens of Paul-Adrian Covaciu (9th) to extend his advantage. Following him to the rail were Spain’s Javier Gomez (8th) and Bulgaria’s Petar Kalev (7th), both were eliminated by D’Alterio, who, despite scoring those two eliminations, was the next player to be knocked out from the final table.
Alterio shoved his pocket eights and was called by Istvan Pilhofer with A-K. Pilhofer flopped a king and held from there to send D’Alterio packing in 6th place. The first day of final-table action came to an end with the elimination of PokerStars ambassador Parker Talbot whose pocket kings failed to beat pocket nines of Saccucci. The latter flopped a set with nines and held from there to bust Talbot.
After that hand, Saccucci bagged up the chip lead into Day 2 of the Main Event’s final table and extended his lead further after busting Jun Obara who check-raised all-in on a jack-high flop with K-J and was called by Saccucci with pocket kings, which held up, sending Obara to the rail in 4th place. Obara was followed by Istvan Pilhofer who was eliminated by Antoine Saout in 3rd place (€470,500).
Finally, the tournament ended in a heads-up deal with Saccucci winning the coveted title for €913,250 and Antoine Saout settling for the second-place prize worth €800,000. On the final hand, his Ad 3c was up against pocket sixes of Saout. The Canadian flopped trips to lock up the victory.
Final Table Payouts
- Jordan Saccucci – €913,250*
- Antoine Saout – €800,000*
- Istvan Pilhofer – €470,500
- Jun Obara – €361,950
- Parker Talbot – €278,450
- Luigi D’Alterio – €214,150
- Petar Kalev – €164,750
- Javier Gomez Zapatero – €126,700
- Paul-Adrian Covaciu – €97,450